AT: Keys Gap to Buzzard Rocks

Shenandoah River and Valley From Buzzard Rocks

We're back!

After a month off for Annie's knee, we are back on the trail and while we had hoped that this weekend would see hike number 24 for the year, it is only number 21 and we find ourselves behind again in our quest to get in 52 hikes this calendar year. After her MRI, Ann found out that she tore both the meniscus and the MCL in her right knee. But luckily, the surgeon decided not to operate and sent her for PT instead.

And so Sunday we took a short hike near the house to get back in the swing of things and to start shaking down our gear for next weekend's excursion to Dolly Sods. We spent the early part of Sunday morning after coffee packing up our gear. The vast majority of our gear is new to us (some of it is used), Annie never having backpacked before and me having lost all my (then ancient) gear in my divorce almost ten years ago. Realistically, my 6-lb Jansport D3 pack, while a classic, weighed more than my current tent and sleeping quilt. I really did need new gear.

It took about an hour for us to go through all the gear that we have assembled since last fall and get it packed into our new-to-us gently used packs. I have a 58-liter Osprey Exos and Annie has the 48-liter version. Even with a three-day supply of food, we both have a lot of room left in our packs, which tells me they are going to be just fine when we have to gear up for cold weather and/or haul a 6- or 7-day food supply.

Under beautiful blue skies, we made the quick drive to Keys Gap on the border between Jefferson County WV and Loudoun County VA, about 20 minutes from the house. We came in from the WV side having just crossed the Shenandoah River and parked at the lot on the north side of the gap, where at 11am, we got the very last parking spot.

Set up just outside the parking lot trailside was a woman doing trail magic, bananas, drinks, and I'm not sure what all else as we had both just eaten and cameled up on water, so we refused her kind offer. We chatted for a second and when she found out we were heading south, she asked us to keep an eye out for her daughter Pigpen who is through hiking. Mom was slackpacking Pigpen from Snickers Gap to Keys Gap and was waiting with her gear and grub. I think mom was getting a little anxious because her daughter had estimated a 4-hour hike between the two gaps. Four hours would be hauling on this section which is 13.6 miles. It would take me about 5 hours and Annie and I together would make it in about 5-1/2. We ran into Pigpen about an hour south among a constant stream of NOBO through hikers.

Keys Gap, A Tough Road Crossing

Not being a frequent user of Route 9 between Charles Town WV and Leesburg VA, I had no idea how much traffic this road carries. Until we tried to cross it. There are no good sight lines for hikers or motorists and the vehicles are flying at 55-60 mph. It's a lot worse than crossing Route 7 one gap to the south at Snickers Gap. Even though Route 7 is two lanes of very high speed traffic, you can see for hundreds of yards in either direction.

What's Different?

In this picture, two things are different. Annie has on her big girl pack loaded for a three-day hike and she has on her fancy Italian knee-brace. She did very well under the circumstances.

Blackberries Starting to Ripen

The hike was really uneventful and now that the trail is full-blown green tunnel, there really aren't any wildflowers to speak of to photograph as there were on our last hike a month ago. But the berries are starting to ripen. I'm hopeful that we are going to get a lot of blueberries next weekend at Dolly Sods. And that the bears will be willing to share.

Most of the way south down the trail to the Buzzard Rocks overview, a trail cuts out to the left (east) and quickly arrives at the David Lesser shelter. The signage up on the AT points merely to the spring and the shelter is not visible from the AT. At the shelter, which is one of the very nicest that I have seen on the AT, Annie left me for the spring which is a long quarter mile down the hill and another hard quarter mile up the hill.

David Lesser Shelter, a Hilton Among Shelters

Another Shelter View

How Many Shelters Have Decks?

PATC keeps this shelter in great shape and among shelters on the AT, this is a Hilton-class property. The shelter has a deck out front with seating and a double Adirondack chair and a few yards to the east is a separate cooking shelter complete with porch swing. I must admit that I took a few minutes in the swing while Annie was away cooling off at the spring. The only downside to this shelter that I see is that water is a long way off.

Or Swings?

Rested and watered, we left the shelter continuing south on the trail for a few tenths until we came to an obvious fork, the AT going left and the blue-blazed Buzzard Rocks trail going right. The blue-blazed trail itself forks and we stayed right on the more obviously used fork that dumped us in a scree field with exactly no view.

Black Cohosh, Actaea racemosa

I backtracked and took the left, less obviously used, fork and ended up with a slightly underwhelming view of the Shenandoah River and the valley. I texted Annie to come join me and we stayed on the rocks for a few minutes.

Looking South from Buzzard Rocks

Checking out the View

While on the rocks looking out over the valley, I spied a nearby tree in bloom that looked very much like an American Chestnut. I have never seen one in bloom or more than about 6 feet high: they never make it very long before the blight kills them. This one was about twenty feet high and was covered in blooms. I was thinking initially that it couldn't be a chestnut and that it had to be a chinkapin, a close relative, but when I got up to it, I could see that the undersides of the leaves are smooth. Chestnut leaves have smooth undersides; chinkapin leaves have hairy undersides.

Surprise! American Chestnut, Castanea dentata, Catkins

Between the shelter and Buzzard Rocks, there is a steep rockpile to ascend heading south and on the way back north to descend. Trail maintainers have carefully built steps into the hillside which makes the going easier, but it is still a bit of a workout.

Negotiating the Stairs

Not having been on the trail in a month and carrying full gear for three days, this 8-mile walk was all the walk we wanted this weekend. We were both happy to see the car and to head back into Winchester for a celebratory beer.

Father's Day 2017

I fully expected to be out on the trail this weekend doing a shakedown hike with all our gear in preparation for a long July 4 weekend at Dolly Sods. Following doctor's orders, Ann can't hike yet following her knee injury in May, so that's put and end to our hiking and most likely, our trip to Dolly Sods. But, the good news in all this is that surgery is not indicated and she starts rehab this week. So there is something to be happy about in all this.

Sunday was Father's Day, which means precious little to me. For me, I'm a father every day and don't need a day to remind me of it or how much my kids mean to me. But it always means that our early summer flowers are just about in peak condition. And I'm feeling a little sad about our gardens now that they are maturing after 7-8 years of hard work just in time for us to leave them and start all over again in Oregon.

I wanted a reminder that I can take with me, so I hauled the camera out to the back yard to see what I could see. And what I could see looks amazing. The garden isn't a static thing. Some plants thrive and others do not. Volunteers come up every year and some we move to more appropriate locations. Some plants we put in the wrong places and we end up moving them. Some plants are just wrong and they get composted. But now our garden is at a point where it is on its own. Sure, we weed it, prune it, and encourage it, but we are no longer actively planting, letting it find its own way, naturally.

Clasping Coneflower

Clasping Coneflowers, with their waxy bluish clasping leaves, are a wonderful annual in the garden, especially in masses. They seed readily and abundantly and so we have them each year in slightly different spots as they volunteer.

Yarrow

We've got yarrows in the yard that we have either let come up through the grass or transplanted from the field out back. They're not particularly long-lived but they grow readily enough. and bring masses of white seafoam to the garden. Because they are a prairie flower, they really do need staking.

Stella d'Oro Daylilies

 Of all our daylilies, the Stellas have the most wonderful golden blooms against deep green foliage.

Anise Hyssop

Anise Hyssop is a wonderful herb and one of the many culinary herbs that we have in the beds. We rarely eat it, preferring its dramatic vertical foliage and gorgeous lavender spikes of flowers for show. It readily reseeds, but like other mints such as lemon balm, it is not particularly invasive. But buy one plant and the next year, you will have as many babies as you want to transplant. Transplants easily and well.

A Coreopsis

We have something on the order of 15 different forms of coreopsis in the garden. They readily hybridize and reseed and each year we have hundreds of volunteers to brighten our garden in the summer.

Another Coreopsis

A Sunny Yellow Tickseed Coreopsis

Evening Primrose

Our evening primrose was a single plant planted near a patch of rosemary and lavender and the beautiful pink blossoms complement the blue-gray foliage of those plants and looks stunning in combination with the lavender blooms. The primroses seem to be very happy and are merrily taking over their section of the bed, intertwining with both the lavender and rosemary.

Plains Coreopsis

This Plains Coreopsis is a very tall coreopsis (naturally, given its native habitat) that wants staking. It seems to seed readily and comes back true to form, unlike some of the other nearby coreopsis.

An Unusual Purple Coneflower

We have dozens and dozens of coneflowers in all shapes and forms. They seed readily, cross readily, and because some of them are hybrids, the offspring are totally random.

Butterfly Weed

This is the first time that I have put Butterfly Weed in a garden and it has not wanted to take over. Of course, it is in a very tough location because it is one of the few plants that can tolerate the arid dry conditions. That may be holding it in check.

Butter and Eggs

Speaking of taking over, this Butter and Eggs is somewhat invasive in our area. Birds no doubt are responsible for giving it to us, but I'm happy enough to have its cheerful snapdragon-like blooms to brighten my day. It is certainly taking over where it lives.

Our Lone Hosta

We have one patch of shade in our entire yard, now that the trees are getting to be 30 feet or so high. I love hostas, but they don't love the sun. We're lucky to have this one and it seems very happy.

A White-Variant Purple Coneflower

Masses of Thyme in Full Bloom

Thyme is perhaps my favorite culinary herb, but it also makes a great groundcover. We have a lot of it and other herbs in the garden. It's a tough plant that wants to be cut back so don't be afraid to cut it back heavily in the fall or whenever you need it.

Cheerful Monarda

Bee balm is a very cheerful mint, though it is very susceptible to powdery mildew. It looks great in pots up under the arbor though.

Bush Honeysuckle Berries

The woods around here are full of bush honeysuckles and while they are characterized as a non-native invasive, there is no stopping them. The birds feed on the berries and everywhere they poop, here come more honeysuckles. We use them as anchor plants in the long beds. They give great color and structure to the garden. The berries are reported to not be a high quality food source for birds but it is fascinating to watch the fruit eaters (robins, mockingbirds, catbirds, thrashers) bring their babies to the bushes and teach them to pick berries.

Yucca filamentosa

Much of the garden is in the blazing sun and water is scarce in the summer. It is a tough place for some plants. So in many places, we have chosen plants suitable for xeriscaping, much as people do in the desert southwest. Our yucca seems to be thriving here.

Trumpet Vine

The trumpet vine: I love it and I hate it. It is so invasive and wants constant maintenance to keep it in check, yet it rewards us with huge clusters of hummingbird-bait blooms all summer.

Prickly Pear

The Eastern Prickly Pear, Opuntia humifusa, grows all over the east. I mainly see it in the dunes along the beach, but there is a patch growing near us along the Shenandoah River. It apparently loves where we have put it and is really stretching out, growing, and rewarding us this year with dozens of four-inch glorious yellow blossoms. It's a shame that we will not be here in the fall to harvest any fruit.

Woes, Woes

Our quest for 52 hikes this year is derailed again just after we got it back on track with 6 in one week back the first of May. Getting the house ready to put on the market in preparation for our move to Oregon is eating into our hiking time. But worse, Ann hurt her knee pretty badly on our hike of the waterfalls at DuPont State Forest down in North Carolina on May 1. She has finally seen a doctor and he has told her to lay off the hiking pending an MRI and possible surgery. Who knows what the outcome of that will be?

And to make matters worse for her, she has a raging cold. I can't do anything about her knee, but at least I could make her some soup for dinner last night. I'm sure it didn't do anything for her cold, but a bowl of warm soup at least probably made her feel a bit better, if only temporarily.

Minestrone

Taking advantage of this opportunity to clean out the fridge a bit, I decided to make a really simple pot of minestrone: vegetables and beans cooked in water with a little salt, thyme, sage, and basil for flavor.

There is no set recipe for minestrone. It is peasant food of the first order made from whatever ingredients are on hand. In my case, I started with a can of cranberry beans, a can of diced tomatoes, some carrot, some celery, a half a fennel bulb, a bit of leftover piece of yellow bell pepper, four cloves worth of minced garlic, 3/4 of a leftover red onion, a potato, a sprig of sage, another of thyme, a handful of basil tops, and a wedge of leftover white cabbage, all covered in water and brought to a simmer for a half an hour or so.

Then when we were ready to eat, I brought it back to the boil and added a small bag of pasta (snails), a diced zucchini, and a couple handfuls of chiffonaded spinach. As soon as the pasta was done, we ate.

I like to have some contrast in my soup, with the preponderance of vegetables well cooked, but some such as the zucchini and spinach added just long enough to so that they retain their color and texture.